China has appointed top officials to manage a USD 40 billion fund to finance its most ambitious global plan - the Silk Roads and Maritime Silk Road - to build major infrastructure projects aimed to enhance its strategic influence and blunt the US' big push into Asia-Pacific.

Eighty rally enthusiasts from Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar travelled across the four nations in 20 cars as the epic journey from Kolkata to Kunming was flagged down here this evening by vice governor of Yunnan Province, Gao Shuxun.